GRACE VISITS: JOHANNE BRYANT-REID 11/29/16

Johanne Bryant-Reid in front of Roy Crosse Painting

Johanne Bryant-Reid is passionate about the arts and about being a collector of art. She is - a woman whose lucid, dark eyes sparkle with delight, and her resonant voice magnifies with intensity as we tour her art collection,  which includes paintings, prints, and drawings by Elizabeth Catlett, Roy Crosse, Jacob Lawrence, Carole Byard, Charles White, Norman Lewis, Charles Alston, Thornton Dial and Romare Bearden, among others. We occasionally pause for Johanne to share stories about specific works.  Humor and personal discovery are intermixed as she tells how she unearthed these artworks and how she became so enamored with particular artists that their relationships developed into lifelong friendships. For Johanne, art is not purchased to decorate a home. Art becomes, to quote Wassily Kandinsky, “an inner necessity.”  Artists need people like Johanne to complete and expand the life of their inventions:  a conversation and collaboration intrinsic to the cycle of creation.

 

Johanne Bryant-Reid was a First Vice President of Merrill  Lynch, directing their human resources department at a time when the company was looking to diversify and be more inclusive in their hiring practices. Through Merrill Lynch, she supported artists by setting up art exhibits, and exposing her colleagues to a range of African-American, Hispanic, and women artists. Today, she is the co-director of The Romare Bearden Foundation. She’s served on the boards of institutions such as the National Council of Negro Women, the National Association Equal Opportunity Higher Education, Manhattan Community College, and Artists Space.

In the early 1980s, the trajectory of  Johanne's life changed when a friend invited her to visit the artist, Romare Bearden in his  studio in the (then) “industrial wilderness” of Long Island City. Bearden was generous with his time and spent an entire afternoon with them. Johanne  described this pivotal experience: “…he was the first one to open my eyes to art…there is nothing like being in a Romare Bearden studio while he is working on a piece, and explaining it to you…” The artist’s hospitality was also peppered with a directness that made Johanne re-evaluate her priorities. She was wearing what she characterized as “fancy-dancy” shoes, and turning to her he asked: “ Do you collect? In life, you need to do something besides buying shoes…” Johanne interpreted this to mean she should invest in objects that have real value.

Johanne Bryant-Reid was born and raised in a coal mining community in West Virginia called  “Number 9” by its inhabitants - the official name was Consolidated Coal Company #9,  also known as Farmington, West Virginia. At the time, towns were referred to by the coal company number - an indication of the overwhelming influence that coal manufacturing wielded in the area. Tragically, her father Leslie David Bryant was killed in a coal mining accident when she was thirteen years old. For Johanne, that loss was akin to “taking the heart out of a family with four kids… walking through life without a father figure…” Yet his memory and powerful presence had a striking influence on Johanne’s own choices. Her father was the first black man, working in a coal mine to become treasurer of the union. It demonstrated his call to civic involvement, which Bryant-Reid has also committed to throughout the course of her life. Interested in electronics and as a  consummate craftsman he built storage units, swinging shelves, furniture, and constructed his own radio - instilling in his daughter an eye for the aesthetic elegance of handmade, custom-built objects. The familial influence also extended to her mother Jesse Lee (Scruggs) Bryant who was an accomplished cook and caterer. 

In the late 1960s, during America’s civil rights era, a turbulent time of change, Johanne attended West Virginia University where her social consciousness and imagination expanded. An avid reader, she became keenly aware of the absence of African-American Literature and Black History courses in the University’s curriculum. She also discovered the power of protest and joined a group of students in targeting the president of the University, holding him in his office, until all the core programming demands were met. The realization that a voice in concert with others’ can precipitate change was revelatory. Moving to New York City in the late 1970s to work for Merrill Lynch, Johanne employed her organizing skills by using her spare time to volunteer at a women’s center, helping to raise money for “battered women” through the sale of art by artists including Nanette Carter, Emma Amos, and  Carole Byard. The idea here was “women helping women” -- a potent catalyst.

 

Heeding Romare Bearden’s advice from years ago, Johanne purchased art, filling her elegant home with a distinctive taste: a totemic sculpture by Roy Crosse residing on a corner wall exuding a magical presence, which is difficult to ignore;  an amalgam of contemporary materials and a bewitching past; a drawing by Bearden himself,  fresh and vibrant with a handwritten inscription melding the specific with the universal. And, a Charles Alston drawing of a seated young boy conveying the awkwardness of youth - fingers intertwined, fidgeting with restless energy.Johanne collected many phases of Norman Lewis’ work - from an early realistic watercolor, and an ink nude study, to an abstraction conveying the movement of time rushing by.

Johanne  recalled that when she attended high school, she “…didn’t even know there were any African American writers.” This disturbing remembrance was etched into her sensibility and generated a resolve to make African American books and art available to larger audiences. Eventually wedding her love of prose and poetry with art, she organized a Merrill Lynch event for John Biggers’ lithographic illustrations and Maya Angelou's poem "Our Grandmothers” published in book form by The Limited Editions Club in 1994. 

http://blackartinamerica.com/profiles/blogs/in-the-spirit-the-connection-of-john-biggers-and-maya-angelou

As I was leaving, Johanne generously gave me a copy of the  stunning book, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and proudly shared  that she owns every Elizabeth Catlett linocut print illustrating James Weldon Johnson’s iconic song, “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” regarded as the African American “National Anthem.”

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-weldon-johnson/lift-every-voice-and-sing/

Johanne Bryant-Reid is an extraordinary woman who has devoted her life to the arts, knowing with certainty that it is a glorious path to enriching one’s being. 

“All these artists had a profound effect on me and changed my life,” she says. “Taking nothing and creating something is a phenomenal thing.” 

Roy Crosse, Home Protector, 58"x6"x2 1/2", wood, metal gold plate, 1992

Jacob Lawrence print from John Brown Series, 1970

Charles Alston, Untitled, gouache, charcoal, pen and ink on paper, 24"x19", 1970

Norman Lewis Untitled (Doll), watercolor, 17"x12", early 1940

Norman Lewis, Untitled, ink and watercolor on paper, 19"x24", early 1940

John Biggers, Four Seasons, print, 24"x34", 1990

Johanne Bryant-Reid in front of  Elizabeth Catlett linotype prints

WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR 11/24/16

I am thankful to have had parents who were given the opportunity to escape Nazi Germany's maniacal tyrant and came to NYC to walk and breathe in the air of freedom. My father who studied to be an architect began his life in his adopted country by picking up cast-away-try-on hats from the floor of the S.Klein Department Store on Union Square and 14th St, a long "pick" in hand. He then did draughting work until he got his architectural license In 1948, and spent his life building NYC's Middle Income Housing projects - the client being the ILGWU.

My mother had sewing skills, taking jobs tailoring for different stores and was for many years the major contributor to the family income. We also lived with my maternal grandparents - my Omi and Opa. I adored Omi whose bed I would rush to on Sunday mornings hopping under the fluffy down cover to receive the warmth and comfort my anxious parents were incapable of giving me.

My Omi had other grandchildren, (her son's daughters) in Holland where once a year she would visit (usually on the SS Rotterdam) - and to this day the sight of an ocean liner will bring tears to my eye accompanying a panicky flutter to my heart.

If my parents were alive today, the very fact that Donald Trump could win the Presidency of the country that saved their lives and a nation which they venerated, would have caused them deeply felt grief, fear, and the dread of deja vu.

MOONLIGHT 11/16/16

MOONLIGHT, directed by Barry Jenkins is an exquisitely written and delicately acted tale of how a young African-American boy navigates through the covertness of childhood isolation, into the reticence of adulthood. Three actors portray Chiron at different stages of existence - all maintain the silent presence of a person with a deep secret viewing a world of abuse and neglect with the curiosity of innocence. The young Chiron/aka “Little” (wonderfully acted by Alex R. Hibbert) realizes at an early age, that he should keep the pain and turbulence that is cloaked behind his dark-intelligent eyes hidden - it is best to stay silent and remain an enigma to others. Desire is  tucked away from the periscope of one's peers, under a translucent sheet of manhood, thereby avoiding some of the emotional lacerations that kids inflict on one another, particularly if you are “different” and happen to be gay and poor, living in Miami with a drug addicted single mother.

Life changes when “Little”, chased by a group of stone-throwing boys, finds refuge in an empty shack , breathless, curling up on the floor, bony arms flung around his thin body for protection. Juan (the wonderful performer Mahershala Ali), who happens to be the local drug dealer, enters the room and sees this young boy silhouetted against the wall, a small warrior standing erect refusing to utter a word, and an unspoken bond is forged - a connection based on Juan’s memories of his own childhood. “Little”,  unwilling to talk, but willing to accompany this tall, powerfully built potential “father figure” to Juan’s house for a home-cooked meal by Teresa ( Janelle Monae), the woman he lives with. Teresa instinctually recognizes a “wounded” child, and provides “Little” with a patina of kindness and warmth momentarily  allaying the scars incurred by years of bullying and abuse.

MOONLIGHT gives us some lovely moments between Juan and his pre-teen protege - particularly one involved with learning to swim and the oft-used metaphor of the power of water to cleanse; but this scene is so beautifully filmed that it erases any notion of banality.

In the next chapter, we meet  the adolescent Chiron (Ashton Sanders) and witness the anguish of being a loner. Bullies take advantage of those they sense can be  tormented and the High School years can be agonizing to a sensitive, fragile young man moving into adulthood. Innocence is slowly eroded; the protective veneer of armor and detachment are easily pierced, yet a sense of wonder remains. Chiron experiences moments of joy particularly in the company of a childhood friend, Kevin (Jaden Piner,) who is practiced in the art of subterfuge and easily glides through his fellow teenagers’ posturing mentality - appearing to be part of a group, but in reality attracted to Chiron’s desolate stillness. Their relationship is restrained, but undercurrents of sexual  yearning - the physicality of touch - a tender finger grazing a hand - can transform years of misery and sorrow into the confusion of love.

The last chapter occurs 10 years later when a powerfully built Chiron  (alluringly portrayed by Trevante Rhodes,) returns home to Miami - his wordlessness remains, but the  years have altered his appearance, and for a moment we believe we are seeing Juan again - the man who helped shepherd  “Little” through the turmoil of childhood. Chiron having maneuvered through sphere’s of hate and humiliation, is eventually able to reconcile with those who have previously cracked his world;  a mother who could not see beyond her own aching needs, and his former confidant Kevin ( Andre Holland,  depicting the sensuous, and elegant, adult Kevin.)  A guileless candor belies Chiron’s rugged presence; the passage of time is complex, paving over the self-inflicted wounds of longing, but also re-igniting the desire to embrace the future.

MY REFLECTIONS ON JOAN MITCHELL PANEL DISCUSSION 11/3/16

Went to a panel on Joan Mitchell related to the exhibition at Cheim & Read titled "Drawing into Painting" moderated by 

Installation: Cheim & Read Gallery

Phong Bui with panelists Joyce Pensato, Louise Fishman and Mark Rosenthal. Whenever I go to panel discussions, I writhe in my seat and mutter under my breath, and always regret not asking questions and challenging some of what is said. I did enjoy hearing Louise Fishman and Joyce Pensato talk directly about their personal encounters with Joan Mitchell; how she was both admired and a mentor of sorts to the then young artists, and how JM's "tough/boy's club/drink them under the table" attitude could be inopportune and oppressive. I particularly appreciated that Louise Fishman did not feel the need to mythologize the artist, and individualized the discussion by interlacing personal history with its effect on her own subsequent artwork.

Phong Bui asked questions of the panel, wondering how they felt about this remark supposedly made by Mitchell: "Painting is like riding a bicycle with no hands", The panelists' responses were varied, but there was agreement that this statement exemplified Mitchell's utter confidence in her process and work. I on the other hand - a painter for many years - felt that utterance referred to the fact that artists are always taking risks...sometimes driving blind, zig-zagging off the path, control unleashed - and then if lucky the exhilarating freedom of discovery occurs.

I have some thoughts about Joan Mitchell's work, and when Phong Bui wondered whether nature influenced her? I wanted to shout out OF COURSE it did - she lived in the midst of verdant gardens in France; her surroundings were infused in her being and became the SOURCE material for her work. I also felt that Mitchell must have studied DETAILS of Monet's late works - the close-ups where we can see Monet's hand making marks gliding the paint with his brush, from the linear to more opaque massive forms - the weaving and overlay of color - both muscular and delicate - the dance of Drawing and Painting are equally important - they cannot be divided as they are inseparable.

Click on link for more information on exhibition:

http://www.cheimread.com/exhibitions/current